Pa. House OKs bill to allow $25 bounty on coyotes

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A bill is advancing in the Pennsylvania Legislature that would authorize the Pennsylvania Game Commission to set a bounty on coyotes.

Named the “coyote control incentive program,” the bill passed 111-78 in the House on Wednesday. It now heads to the Senate.

Under the bill, the Game Commission could pay $25 to any licensed hunter or furtaker for each coyote lawfully killed. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that it would be Pennsylvania's first such bounty on a wild animal in 50 years.

State law already allows year-round coyote hunting, and the bill's sponsor, Pike County Rep. Michael Peifer, says he wants to give hunters an extra incentive to reduce the growing numbers of coyotes.

Opponent say it could backfire while posing a risk to unleashed dogs and outdoor cats.

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